Things are not always as they seem. We can be led by lures -- sometimes, deliberately, from without; sometimes, compulsively, from within -- that dazzle our senses even as, wolf-like, they stalk us, endangering our souls. We are always searching for "the real deal" that satisfies what we long for, but do not find it.Thursday, March 15, 2018

In the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shootings and other violent incidents, there is, understandably, no absence of passion and rage. Nor should a community, even a nation, in the face of such brutality, withhold its compassion for innocent victims or its outrage against those responsible.
But none of this is likely to stop the next incident.(1 comments)Thursday, March 8, 2018

"Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return:" words you may have heard last Ash Wednesday. You may also have noticed the ashes are ritually imposed in the sign of a cross.Thursday, February 22, 2018

Most Catholics are familiar with admonitions "to avoid the near occasions of sin." This is one of the resolutions every penitent makes prior to receiving absolution in the sacrament of penance.Thursday, February 15, 2018

Last Friday, I was driving home south along Western Avenue after a particularly grace-filled day. I almost passed the intersection where I make a left turn, because the traffic light was out.Thursday, February 8, 2018

This is the second of two columns by Bishop Scharfenberger on Catholic education in celebration of national Catholic Schools Week, which is being celebrated Jan. 28-Feb. 3. Part I appeared in the Jan. 18 issue.Thursday, January 25, 2018

This is the first of two columns by Bishop Scharfenberger on Catholic education in celebration of national Catholic Schools Week, which will be celebrated Jan. 28-Feb. 3. Part II will appear in next week's issue.Thursday, January 18, 2018

We have all had the experience of getting stuck in a rut somewhere. Our car sinks into a ditch full of mud or (perhaps more recently) backs into a bank of snow. We know right away we are trapped.(1 comments)Thursday, January 11, 2018

As I write this article, I am filled with joy, pride and gratitude, surrounded by 274 young, vibrant and evangelizing people from throughout our beautiful Diocese. We are in Indianapolis at NCYC 2017: the biennial National Catholic Youth Conference.Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger is on an Oct. 28-Nov. 8 trip to Eastern Europe with a group from Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany. He is visiting Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Krakow, Poland; and Prague in the Czech Republic.Thursday, November 9, 2017

Of the many titles of Mary, "Morning Star" best seems to capture her guiding role in our personal and ecclesial lives as the one who lights the way to the Way. She is our sure and steadfast beacon of hope, because she leads us to the only way to happiness, which is Jesus Christ.Thursday, October 26, 2017

By its very nature, illness is a destabilizing, isolating experience. Even without a diagnosis, feeling sick interrupts the ordinary flow of events, including sleep, meals, traveling and the work routine.Thursday, October 19, 2017

We are embarking on a campaign to secure the foundation for our future, which will fuel our larger vision of growing and enhancing our Catholic community of faith for current and future generations.Thursday, October 12, 2017

"The tongue is mightier than the sword!" No one knows for sure who first came to this conclusion. Maybe he or she was inspired by Scripture, which tells us, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:19).(1 comments)Thursday, September 7, 2017

As summer turns to fall, our hearts go out to our young people, many of whom will soon be leaving home. We hope your summer has been fun and relaxing, but also one of spiritual growth and renewal.Thursday, August 17, 2017

It's easy to disagree on theological fine points, but it's hard to argue with experience. In attempting to evangelize both active and inactive Catholics, no one set a better example than Christ the Good Shepherd, who would look for the one sheep when He had 99.(1 comments)Thursday, August 10, 2017

Did you know that God is calling you?
I am not talking about a specific state-in-life vocation like priesthood, religious life or marriage, but something even deeper and much more vital to your life right now.Thursday, July 27, 2017

In recent and upcoming Sundays and in the weekday readings, we are hearing many parables about the two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Man. Jesus is contrasting how God is with how the world operates.Thursday, July 20, 2017

Though the "Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America" we attended was only four days, July 1-4, the insights, faith witness and experiences that we and thousands of Catholic leaders shared is sure to bear abundant fruit in all of our dioceses and parishes throughout the country.Thursday, July 13, 2017

Jesus sent His disciples out "two by two," never alone. Two men on the road to Emmaus encountered Jesus, and they recognized Him "in the breaking of the bread" (Lk 24:3-35). As promised, "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them" (Mt 18:20).Thursday, July 6, 2017

Follow my logic: Christ is always good news for sinners. That, we know from the Scriptures.
People in any kind of trouble were always better off for meeting Christ. Those who were the most down and out, the most marginalized people in society -- lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors and so on, all presumed sinners -- not only found acceptance in the presence of Christ, but welcome and deep healing.Thursday, June 8, 2017

Following up on last week's reflection on the Mass and how revolutionary it really is, we might say that the Mass represents an invitation to live on Earth as if we are already in heaven -- and it gives us the power to do this.Thursday, June 1, 2017

A point needs to be made about the Mass.
I'm not talking about any "kind" of Mass in particular, like the "traditional Mass" or the Novus Ordo; nor the language of periodic revisions or translations; nor even the culturally-adaptable modes through which the Mass engages the five senses.Thursday, May 25, 2017

A maxim attributed to St. Francis of Assisi -- "Preach the Gospel always; use words if necessary" -- remains relevant today. It is another way of saying that actions speak louder than words. Nowhere are the consequences of ignoring such wisdom more visible than when Christians, who preach the love of God for all, refrain from showing it themselves to the least of their brothers or sisters.(1 comments)Thursday, May 18, 2017

Nothing can replace the influence of the example of parents on the spiritual lives of their children. In fact, research has shown that the consistent presence and guidance of the father is key to whether children will continue to practice their faith throughout their lives.Thursday, May 11, 2017

All too few resources are devoted to supporting women in vulnerable socioeconomic circumstances or unstable relationships who do not want to deprive themselves or their children of life and the gift of motherhood.Thursday, May 4, 2017

God's mercy is a lot like light.
This should not surprise us. Jesus reveals Himself to us as light: "I am the light of the world." In His light, all things are revealed in the splendor of original grace -- how things were meant to be.Thursday, April 20, 2017

Penance is one of the two great healing sacraments. Along with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, it is an invitation to a personal encounter with none other than Jesus Christ Himself -- in the flesh, one might even say -- to experience His healing touch as the divine physician.Thursday, April 6, 2017

This column is the second in a three-part series on marriage and support for those in marital stress or collapse. Read last week's column at www.evangelist.org. Next week, Bishop Scharfenberger will address ecclesiastical annulments and other remedies for people struggling with family-life issues.Thursday, March 9, 2017

Ash Wednesday is March 1, less than a week away. During the Lenten season, it's customary and spiritually beneficial for Christians to "give up" something good in which we take material pleasure: typically, something we like to eat or drink, such as alcoholic beverages, chocolates or even sweets altogether. It might also be some wholesome but time-consuming form of entertainment, like movies or video games.Thursday, February 23, 2017

Watching the halftime show at the Super Bowl telecast last Sunday, I was wondering, like many Americans, whether Lady Gaga was going to hijack her performance by careening off her strong points into a political diatribe.Thursday, February 9, 2017

Last Friday, I joined the March For Life, the 44th since its inception following Roe v. Wade (Jan. 22, 1973), the landmark decision of the Supreme Court legalizing abortion on demand.Thursday, February 2, 2017

Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Albany is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Throughout its entire existence, providing food for the hungry has been one of the pillars of its Gospel-inspired mission.Thursday, January 26, 2017

In his message for the World Day of Peace (Jan. 1), Pope Francis calls attention to the effects of war and violence on those human beings who are most vulnerable. Among them are migrants, the infirm, the unemployed, those imprisoned and the unborn.Thursday, January 5, 2017

The Christmas story continues, as it always has, to fascinate and to disturb, to inspire and to irritate both people of great faith and people of little faith, depending on how it is heard and how seriously heeded.Thursday, December 22, 2016

Finding the treasure of Advent is the key to getting into the Christmas spirit. Even with Advent almost half over -- or perhaps especially because of that -- claiming the time to accept its graces will deepen both the joy and peace Christmas promises.Thursday, December 8, 2016

Each Advent come exhortations from Christian pulpits to "slow down." Just when every other force and fury around us is screaming, "Hurry up!" the Church is out there being its counter-cultural self, ever the sign of contradiction in the world.Thursday, December 1, 2016

The new evangelization is not about what we know, but whom we know.
What is evangelization? It is spreading the Gospel. "Gospel" means "Good News:" the good news that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is everyone's Savior, my Savior, the Savior of the world.Thursday, November 10, 2016

The focus this week in The Evangelist on vocations invites us to thank God for the blessing of the vocations of the ordained -- in particular, priests -- and to thank them for following freely God's invitation.Thursday, October 27, 2016

Yuri Gagarin -- the first Soviet cosmonaut in space -- is said to have commented while in orbit, "I don't see any God up here." It may never have occurred to him that God could still see him.Thursday, October 20, 2016

During my 20-odd years of service in a diocesan Tribunal, assisting people with marital difficulties, the many heart-wrenching stories of emotional and family devastation taught me much about the paradox we call love.Thursday, October 13, 2016

It is well recognized -- our experience confirms it -- that the nurse or doctor with the better bedside manner is all the more likely to find both patient and family responsive. That is why successful professional people almost always cultivate a welcoming, affirming demeanor in their practice.Thursday, October 6, 2016

If there is something that might be called, with a certain measure of ironic humor, a Catholic "heresy," something that can really separate us from the communion of faith in which we are united with God and one another, it is none of the hot-button issues which are typically all over the media: abortion, say, or sexual ethics, or the ordination of women.Thursday, September 22, 2016

'These rights are constitutive of our humanity and the very order of civil society itself. Without them, as history can illustrate, civilization comes apart at the seams. Deny or distort these rights and the seeds of violence are sown. That is why it is so important for us to come back to our first principles before we decide whether we want to be (or vote) Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal.'Thursday, September 8, 2016

Purgatory is like a "second chance" for God's mercy to purify us, so that we can enter His presence free of the sinful baggage we have dragged around with us through our lives.
What about hell, then?(1 comments)Thursday, September 1, 2016

Want a little relief from the heat of summer? Listen to these soothing words of Jesus. Read them aloud, slowly: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light" (Mt 11:28-30).Thursday, August 25, 2016

I have the impression that many people feel overburdened, frustrated, confused and maybe even irritated that God is not revealing Himself enough in the world in general and in our personal lives in particular.Thursday, August 11, 2016

Gather 1.5 million young people together in any small city of the world for a week. Billet them in hostels with no washing machines, bars of soap or hair dryers. Put them on a nine-mile hike the day before the last, followed by a sleepless overnight camp-out with no amenities but Porta-Potties and bottled water. Awaken them at 5 a.m. (or earlier) and have them wait four hours for a two-and-a-half-hour Sunday Mass, outdoors, under a sweltering sun. Send them back on a nine-mile return to their close quarters.Thursday, August 4, 2016

Every one of us, without exception, is called to holiness!How often have you heard something like that and thought, "Well, that's nice, but this had to be for somebody else, not me."Thursday, July 7, 2016

How much more violence does it take?
Do we need any further reminders than what our nation has just witnessed: the evil of any way of thinking or acting that treats any class of human beings differently, as inferior or less worthy of God's love and mercy than any other?(1 comments)Thursday, June 16, 2016

The lyrics of a song, popular about 50 years ago, described a romantic relationship as "step by step, I fell in love with you." The first step was "a sweet hello" and, like the progression of grammar school grades, it all led up to the seventh ("I took a chance") and then the final step: "true romance."Thursday, June 9, 2016

The Memorial Day weekend just past is the traditional harbinger of the summer season. We've barely noticed spring, and already hints of the hot and slow-going days of summer are upon us.Thursday, June 2, 2016

Back in the 1960s -- a time when the so-called "sexual revolution" was boldly proclaimed -- a culture of newfound liberation was beginning to emerge, celebrating itself as a movement toward "free love."(7 comments)Thursday, May 26, 2016

Pentecost is a feast of divine mercy. Like every Mass, it happens where sinners are gathered together, longing for God's peace. Isn't that why we gather at Mass -- because we need peace; we need God's mercy?Thursday, May 19, 2016

Recently it has come to light that a New York State agency had, without any prior public notice, approved and issued mandates forcing church institutions, employers and individuals to cover so-called therapeutic and non-therapeutic abortions in their health insurance plans.Thursday, May 12, 2016

The publication of the Declaration of Independence some 240 years ago provoked a chorus of guffaws from continental elites, many of whom scoffed at the naive notion that humans could be trusted to govern themselves.Thursday, May 5, 2016

Have you walked through the door of mercy? Have you taken that big step of trust that Jesus invites all of us, as His disciples, to do, so that He can pour His divine mercy into our hearts?Thursday, April 28, 2016

Unlike priestly classes of pre-Christian cultures, the priesthood initiated by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper represents no kind of upward mobility as the world might view it. In reality, it is a humiliation.Thursday, April 21, 2016

Friday, April 8, saw the arrival of Pope Francis's long-awaited apostolic exhortation on the family, "Amoris Laetitia" ("The Joy of Love"). The first reactions have been quick and vigorous.Thursday, April 14, 2016

By now just about everyone has heard of the all-nighter Rev. Bob Longobucco pulled last Friday. He decided to take up the challenge that Pope Francis extended for larger parishes to offer the sacrament of penance and reconciliation for 24-hour periods.Thursday, March 10, 2016